WPC

The abbreviation stands for wood-plastic composite. WPCs are workable composite materials made from different proportions of wood – typically wood flour – plastics and additives, and are often used as decking boards to resemble solid wood planks.

Too hot in summer

WPC does not splinter and is easy to clean. The disadvantages are: in summer, WPC heats up very much in direct sunlight, making it almost impossible to walk on the terrace. If a WPC decking has to be dismantled, the WPC boards are classified as hazardous waste, which is expensive to dispose of.

Some manufacturers offer guarantees of up to 20 or 25 years. Precise studies to assess the service life in outdoor areas have not yet been carried out. The quality of the WPC mixture of plastic and wood appears to be decisive for durability.

WPC boards with hollow profiles have a significantly lower durability, as they suffer greatly from UV exposure and weather influences such as moisture and temperature fluctuations. In the ecological assessment of WPC, the plastics from which the material was made play a decisive role. It is more advantageous if recycled plastics are used.